The Stanley Cup Final is set to begin in less than a week. For the New York Islanders, it will be the 40th straight year without an appearance in the last series in the NHL postseason. You would have to go back to 1984 – the last year of the dynasty.
A lot has changed since those days, which includes a 23-year playoff series victory drought followed by two Eastern Conference Final appearances in 2020 and 2021. Since going to the final four, the Islanders have just three postseason wins. President and general manager Lou Lamoriello will need to work the phones to get the team back into Stanley Cup contention.
The Pieces the Islanders Have
Before getting into the additions that are needed to make another deep post-season run, it’s important to understand the Islanders already have at least a couple of ingredients.
One of them is a true first-line center – and that’s a big one that not every team can say they have. Mathew Barzal is as talented as they come. Sure, the Canadian center’s goal-scoring has come into question at times, as he’s hit the back of the net just 19 times or less in most regular seasons in his NHL career. However, the playmaking and elite skating ability is undeniable. Barzal is a piece that teams win championships with, as long as a decent supporting cast is there. Plus, he’s only 27 years old.
Also, not every NHL organization can say they have an elite goaltender. Spare us the poor 2023-24 campaign, where Ilya Sorokin ranked 43rd amongst netminders in goals saved above expected, according to MoneyPuck. It’s fair to expect the Russian goaltender to bounce back next season after a mental reset. Maybe the save percentage won’t be above .920, but .915 or above would still give the Islanders a big boost and confidence that he can steal a playoff series if needed.
Related: 4 Things the Islanders Can Learn From the Panthers
Noah Dobson is the other player the Islanders have who could be a key piece. The question is, is he an elite player or a shutdown defenseman? Of course, the 24-year-old broke out after posting 70 points in 79 games this season. However, his production dipped dramatically toward the end of the season. In March, he recorded just five points in 14 games. During the post-season series against the Carolina Hurricanes, the right-shot defensemen failed to record a point in all but one game. But at the very least, Dobson should be a shutdown top-four defenseman for several years going forward. It remains to be seen if he can consistently get in on the attack and hover around a point a game during a season – which would be huge for the Islanders.
The Pieces Needed to Become a Contender
As things stand, the Islanders have at least two maybe three really good pieces. That’s not nearly enough to get to the next level. If you look at the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers, who will both meet in the Stanley Cup Final, they have more than just one star up front. It’s not just Aleksander Barkov and Connor McDavid – but it’s other stars like Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Leon Draisaitl, and Evan Bouchard.
Barzal, Bo Horvat, and Anders Lee do not compare to the list above. The most obvious need for the Islanders is a scoring winger. One name that has come up in the rumor mill that could be a good fit is Nikolaj Ehlers. The speedy left-handed shot posted 61 points in 82 games last season. But a first-round exit could force the Winnipeg Jets to make changes. Watching Barzal and Ehlers skate up and down the ice on the same line would be fun, no doubt.
If Mitch Marner is available, Lamoriello should have Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving on speed dial. Do they want a defenseman? The Islanders have plenty that could be of interest to the Maple Leafs including Ryan Pulock and Adam Pelech. Of course, it’s hard to imagine those players going down in a one-for-one swap for Marner, but Treliving has prioritized adding grit and being tougher to play against since taking over the Maple Leafs. So it’s something worth exploring. But Dobson might be more of a name with a realistic chance of fetching Marner. However, the production of Dobson from the backend would be tough to replace.
Someone the Islanders should push for without mortgaging assets is Steven Stamkos, who we’ve advocated for before. Not only can he play center – but wing as well. Plus, Stamkos, with his right-hand shot, would be a game-changer to the team’s 19th-ranked 2023-24 power play. On the Tampa Bay Lightning last season, the 34-year-old finished with 19 goals on the unit – which was tied for third-most in the league. Adding just one of the three options above would instantly make the Islanders’ power play unit better. Stamkos would take it to another level – but it may not be sustainable long-term because his age is approaching the mid-30s.
In the regular season, the Oilers and Panthers both finished with top-eight power plays. The penalty kills were also considerably better than the Islanders unit, which finished unacceptably dead last in the NHL this season. The Panthers and Oilers units ranked sixth and 15th in the NHL, respectively. So we are not asking the Islanders’ penalty kill to go from rock bottom to first. Just be average or a little better.
With only over $5 million in cap space, according to CapFriendly, Lamoriello will need to find affordable players that excel at killing penalties. This might include Sam Lafferty and Christian Fischer.
But adding a scoring winger should be priority number one this offseason, with low-cost signings in free agency following it. At the trade deadline, the Islanders will need to assess where the team is at and make additions that fill in the holes. Right now, they are at least three pieces away from being a serious contender. This includes a scoring winger to boost the power play and two penalty killers. A lot of work remains – but it’s not impossible.
